Showing posts with label people. Show all posts
Showing posts with label people. Show all posts

Thursday, December 28, 2023

Don't Judge a Book By The Cover

 Everywhere we turn we see a library of humanity!


Behind the whole of human race
The smiling or the somber face
The eyes we meet in passing, oh
Behind each silence or hello
A story of a life unfolds

…behind facades our gaze beholds
Ink-drops of love, of loss and gain
Of want and need, pleasure and pain
Of holding on and letting go
Shimmers of a life story, so

…because we do not know in full
The details of love’s push and pull
The landscape of life’s ups and downs
That turns the face to smiles or frowns
Because we cannot see the part

…that cradles dreams, or breaks the heart
That fuels gladness or despair
The pressing paragraphs of care/prayer
Should we not be much kinder then
To a world full of fellowmen?

…and season each response with grace
For what we see upon the face
Does not reveal the no or yes
That authors ruin or success
Where we all share the common ground

…of hope, of Something lost or found
Of longings that have not been met
Held in the brooding bay of ‘yet
In stories of ink not yet dry
In so much more than meets the eye

Tall, short, rich, poor, plump or petite
Each bears a book that does not meet
The eye; where fingers cannot trace 
The lines that bridle human race
Into a kind of library

...penned by the likes of you and me
With no two stories quite the same
However great or small its fame
Where behind every face we meet 
Unfolds a story, bittersweet 

© Janet Martin

2 Cor.5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, 
so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done 
while in the body, whether good or bad.

Rev.20:11-13
Then I saw a great white throne and the One seated on it.
Earth and heaven fled from His presence, and no place was found for them.
12And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne.
And there were open books,
and one of them was the Book of Life.
And the dead were judged according to their deeds, as recorded in the books.
13The sea gave up its dead,
and Death and Hades gave up their dead,
and each one was judged according to his deeds.

Friday, March 10, 2023

All In This Together


(Oh!! as I worked on this post I realized those first few flakes were but the prelude...)


This morning we return to a more monochromatic canvas
after, for 2023, a record-breaking three mornings in a row
of marmalade-hued morn!




We are all in this together
Universal farandole
Until God unties the tether
Twixt the body and the soul

From first breath we start to weather
Mankind’s fundamental plight
Where we, all in this together
All are precious in God’s sight

Sometimes we don’t treat each other
Quite as kindly as could be
Where we, all in this together
Are like a big family

Time wafts like a silver feather
Morn spills in marmalade hue
To we, still in this together
Not yet severed by death’s due

Then let us love one another
Before pray, it is too late
For we, all in this together
Are approaching Farewell’s Gate

What a gift it is to weather
Life together, by God's grace
Before He unties the tether
Twixt our bodies and His face

What a lot we have in common
All in this together, we
While we await God's sure summons
Are a worldwide family 

© Janet Martin

Thank-you, pear-picker in South Africa...


Banana-grower in Guatemala ...


Tea-harvester in China...


Dish manufacturer in Luxembourg...


Coffee-mug artist in the UK...






John 15:17
This is My command to you: Love one another.

Romans 12:10
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. 
Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.

Romans 13:8
Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love.
 For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Romans 13:10
Love does no wrong to its neighbor.
 Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Monday, January 23, 2023

With Only One of Each of Us...


How grieved our Creator must be when we choose to bicker and bite
instead of lovingly forgiving each other like He lovingly forgives us!
After all, every single one of us is on our maiden voyage through life 
with so many mistakes made, to learn from...
and to top it all off there are no two of us exactly alike!!!

Unlike these birds who all sound and look exactly alike...


With only one of each of us and no two quite alike
It stirs in us the impetus to do the best we can
To honor He who drew in us His holy breath of life
Where there will never be another you or me again

With only one of each of us and no two quite the same
Is it then any wonder that we often disagree
But wouldn’t it be nice if we recalled from whence we came
Then strove to love because there is only one you and me

And no one else can take the place of only you or me
Where every single ‘us’ is originally designed
And no one else can be the person we were made to be
Now is that not reason enough to be loving and kind

…and just a bit more patient with one-only-you and-me
Where we are all on maiden voyages from here to There
With our one and only unique personality
And our One and Only Creator beyond compare

We all have this in common; He who makes us black and white
And numbers our days before one of them comes to be
He smiles with loving kindness; we are precious in His sight
For there will never, ever be another you or me

How often we could treat each other better than we do
And cherish one-and-only-me-and-you while we still can
Before it is too late because either first me or you
Will go the one-and-only way we go since time began 


© Janet Martin

Psalm 139:13-16

For You formed my inmost being;a
You knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Marvelous are Your works,
and I know this very well.
15My frame was not hidden from You
when I was made in secret,
when I was woven together
in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all my days were written in Your book
and ordained for me
before one of them came to be.

Wednesday, November 16, 2022

(Not) Changing the World


We may not, in the grand scheme of things, change the world
but we can certainly do our bit!

 A reverence for angels that are growing up too fast...




An eye to see the beauty in each season’s works of art...

A note of thankfulness, even when the song is off-key
A traveling companion with a heart of sympathy
A word of consolation and a patient ear to hear
An air of celebration no matter the time of year
Because, though we may never change the world, we can begin
To make it a bit better in the corner we are in

A love for one another that makes every day worthwhile
A joy that comes from blessings like a home, a hug, a smile
A cup of tea with you and me, awareness of a page
We fill with today’s memories, no matter our age
An eye to see the beauty in each season’s works of art
Where though we may not change the world, we may cheer/change a small part

A reverence for angels that are growing up too fast
A prayer for grace and guidance as we face what soon is past
A sweeter disposition as the days to years run rife
A deep appreciation for the simple things in life
Where, though we may not change the world with our rhythm and rhyme
We can gladden the place we are, one kindness at a time

Awe, as we consider the birds and learn what they would teach
Hope, as we trust God’s outstretched hand, always within our reach
Humility as we become older and pray, more wise
And soften our answers, often much to our surprise
Because we realize, although we may not change the world
Right where we are, we can add to its loveliness unfurled

Endeavoring to grumble less and sing a little more
And savoring soul-happiness, like wreaths on a front door
And wondering at wonders that never cease to amaze
Where earth and heavens thunder with a smorgasbord of ways
To author praise and turn a meeker gaze to fellowman
Where though we may not change the world, we can change what we can

© Janet Martin

Awe, as we consider the birds...



Saturday, October 15, 2022

Lens Awareness



We view other people's lives through the lens of our own experiences.
One size does not fit all!!


If only we remembered that the window we peer through
Is not a universal, unobstructed point of view
Where, we all dream, hope, hurt and bear the cares of time and place
And no one is beyond the need of sympathetic grace 
While one is celebrating a victorious delight
Another is debating whether life is worth the fight

 The highs and lows of thorns and roses scatter in the wake
Of what becomes the lens through which we view life's give and take
Where soon a season disappears, turned into memories
Laughter and tears unrav'ling years like leaves unravel trees
While, weathering the wounds and wonders of gladness and gall
Of All-in-this-together but one lens does not fit all

Some sorrows flash like neon signs, some lodge deep in the heart
Not one of us can see behind the facade of the art
Where we are all God's workmanship, all simply fellowmen
Not one of us fully equipped to wield the Poet's Pen
Without thought of the welfare of each other first in mind
Because the lenses we look through are each one-of-a-kind

© Janet Martin

Phil.2:4
Let each of you look out not only for his own interests,
 but also for the interests of others.

Wednesday, April 6, 2022

What in the World

Poem-a-day challenge day 6:For today's prompt, write a blank in the blank poem.

wishing all a day of purposeful happiness
(or, in some cases happy-mess😅💗💕)


What in the world would be better than trying
To be the person we would like to meet
Always the hour’s fleet flower is dying
Scattering echoes beneath our feet

What if we tried to be part of the beauty
On today’s canvas, soon splattered with paint
What if we honored dictations of duty
Rather than airing our curse and complaint

What if we counted the ways to be grateful
If living kindly was our true delight
What if we saw each new day as a plateful
Of blessings whetting worship’s appetite

What if we turned fisticuffs into handshakes
What if we didn’t ‘bite-back’ quite so much
What if we softened this journey of heartaches
With often-uttered endearments and such

What if, because we so cherished each other
Words would be gentle and patient and sweet
And we would see, through the eyes of a mother
A world full of people we would like to meet

...how, in a world full of fasting-fading flowers
We can be part of love’s heart-throbbing song
What would be better than scattering hours
In echo-petals of fondest so-long

© Janet Martin

Job 14:1-2
“Mortals, born of woman,
    are of few days and full of trouble.

They spring up like flowers and wither away;

    like fleeting shadows, they do not endure.


1 Peter 1:24
For, "All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flowers of the field;
 the grass withers and the flowers fall,

Saturday, September 18, 2021

As We All Are


The ending of the movie Stranger in Town
contains a speech with relevant reminders to all of us
all these decades later...

(click on at 1:50 if you are in a hurry😉)


Politics is a topic that can lead to fiery discussion
and differing opinions!
Pray, more than anything we pray for our leaders
at every level for they are far more than representatives
of a political party.
They are living souls
As we all are!

“There are no ordinary people.
You have never talked with a mere mortal.”
C.S. Lewis

Meanwhile, we all are dearly loved
by the One who made us
'whether little girl with little curl'


or Leader for the better or worse
of the country he/she serves.

Prime-minister/president/political party bashing has never served to build
or heal and though today's voter's options seem sadly lacking
it is not a reflection of one man/one party, but rather of
 the nation's moral compass.
A country is not its prime-minister/president.
It is the people; you, me and every other
extra-ordinary human being we meet on a daily basis!

Deuteronomy 4:7
For what nation is great enough to have a god as near to them 
as the LORD our God is to us whenever we call on Him?

On Monday Canada goes to the polls to vote for Prime-minister
either a new one or more of the same,
but it is a dark time for many voters because
When a nation stops calling on
The One True God
We get what we deserve.

Oh God, help the future of the nations...



...for we are more than flesh and blood,
Than hands and feet
and lovely face
We are the handiwork of God
Therefore no one
is commonplace

All precious in the sight or He
Whether private
or super-star
He created mortality
With tender love
as we all are

Then pray, this common Bond of love
Not hate, advises
And controls
Both citizen and head of state
Are chariots of
deathless souls

Therefore, in spite of all we lack
Not one of us 
are very far
From giving up and giving back
To He who loves
As we all are

Then lest, because of mortal bent
We forget, we should
Think again
Our love for God is evident
by how we love
our fellowman

Janet Martin~ 

For here we have no continuing city, 
but we seek the one to come. Heb.13:14

Friday, June 25, 2021

Best-Of-All Blessings

This poem was inspired by the flood of loving grad photos on social-media
from proud moms and dads...
One photo esp. inspired this poem as I stared at the tall, handsome, young man,
and seems, was the size of the tots in the photos below not so long ago.

Reminds us to cherish the Here and Now,
the 'noisy joys of girls and boys' 💗
which filled the morning at Janet's/Grandma's house

They start so small;
life's best-of-all-blessings...


The momentum of to...


...and from, is subtle in its tugs






They start so small
Life’s ‘best-of-all-
Blessing' fills arms and hearts
The noisy joys
Of girls and boys
One of love’s sweetest parts

…while sparkling streams
Of hopes and dreams
Become the tender tide
Of smiles and tears
And days and years
That draw them from our side

The momentum
Of to-and-from
Is subtle in its tugs
As moments meld
To seasons felled
Beneath kisses and hugs

Time’s stellar flight
Of morn to night
Turns little people tall
While ‘I love you’
Fashions the flue
Through which youth's contrails fall

And keens us to
An avenue
Trampled, but not with feet
Where blessings of
Life’s best part; love
Makes thankfulness complete
 
© Janet Martin

Eph.5:2
And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us...
 

Saturday, April 17, 2021

Waiting For Covid-19 to Pass

 PAD Challenge day 17For today's prompt, write a waiting poem.

Every so often I crank up this song by Johnny Cash

These Things Shall Pass

 


Because of soaring numbers in new Covid-19 cases
Ontario tightens restrictions even harder for 6 weeks!
This prompt Waiting, feels like the first thing we talk about 
even before the weather these days!
(and we're Canadian!) 
We feel like we have been waiting for things to
return to 'normal' for more than a year, and now this;
Seemingly worse, not better in spite of vaccines?!!
It's discouraging!
So, the word 'wait' can be a millstone around the neck
 or a steppingstone beneath our feet/knees.
It's up to us.

(My heart esp. goes out to small businesses!
Hang in there as you weather open to curbside-takeout-closed..)

Within the walls of circumstance, we wait; the gate is barred
To Freedom’s Ballroom; numbers soar while hope hits new lows hard
But, let’s not forget what we have though we feel far apart
We have each other and God’s Word to cheer the faint of heart

Wisdom chisels its masterpieces not on Easy Street
Our faith is not refined until its mettle feels the heat
Then, though fear grips us by the throat as we wait anxiously
We have each other and God’s Word; how thankful we should be

Technology for all its faults helps us to keep in touch
While we wait for Restriction to release its strangling clutch
Let’s take a deep breath, keep the faith though hope is battle-scarred
And be so grateful that we have each other and God’s Word

Selfishness is a monster; it wreaks havoc in the world
It desecrates the banner of morn’s fresh mercy unfurled
So, let’s love one another while we wait, though walls apart
We have God’s Word in which to trust so we do not lose heart

© Janet Martin

1 Peter 4:7-10
The end of all things is near. 
Therefore be clear-minded and sober, so that you can pray.
  Above all, love one another deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins
.Show hospitality to one another without complaining.
As good stewards of the manifold grace of God,
each of you should use whatever gift he has received to serve one another.

These verses really hit home right now.
even now we can show hospitality by dropping
a meal to a needy family, by sending words of cheer via text, emails,
cards, phone calls, yes, even when it feels

This week my I received a package from a friend in another country!
The surprise of its sweet love brought much needed joy
to a hard week! 
Thank-you Sasha for the gift from



Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Thus, Fellowmen

 Don't you just love cooking with fresh ingredients?!



Don't you just love a child's eager curiosity?!

Don't you just love a sunny daybreak?!


or a surprise flower bouquet from a friend?!


...or winter-dusk's farewell hues?!


and thousands of other kindred kindnesses!!

With so much in common, why do we bicker so?!!

We walk life’s path of day to day
With many a bump along the way
With many a trip, slip, stumble-spree
(The birthplace of humility)

Thus, we should not be enemies
Because life’s commonalities
Are always more, we must confess
Than that which marks our differences

All that we have we leave behind
This but the dust of daily grind
Where rich or poor, small or great ken
By grace we go, thus, fellowmen

© Janet Martin

Still...

you never know what you're gonna get.
~ Forrest Gump

 

Sometimes that's how I feel about poetry before it is bitten/written!
SO much to taste; as fingers move you just never know what the end result will be!




Above photo from the book Through Irish Eyes



Do you ever look at history books and wonder at the photos, 
the fashions, the 'normal' of the time?!
Do you ever read a book from ages past,
and marvel at how much has changed
only to read the story of the people in the pictures
to realize that beneath façade 
humanity is as much the same as ever?!
People with souls pressing toward hope-and-dream goals
with many a bump along the way...


This poem took off in a totally different direction than I was expecting
when I first felt 'the niggle'...
That's the joy of poetry; you never know what you're gonna get!😄


Time does not change the way it pours four seasons round and round
It does not hasten or meander, ever tick-tock bound
Sunrise, sunset, now dry, now wet, now plant, now harvest, oh
Where it seems little stays the same as ages come and go

…but some things stay; life’s ilk of silk and steel still much the same
As on the day when Adam pointed at his wife with blame
The sweetness of indulgence of forbidden fruit is brief
Consequence still lasts so much longer borne with bitter grief

Yes, little stays the same but oh, the heart left to its rule
Is still desp’rately wicked as it caters to the fool
Pride still precedes destruction, arrogance authors the fall
And humble pie is still a most unpleasant victual

The youth that we try to preserve will still always fall prey
To Father Time who does not swerve or waver in his way
When man still loves a woman and a woman loves a man
Till death doth part, we still glimpse the heart of the Master's Plan

Innocence of a child is still the purest joy on earth
Mirth finds its dearest laughter and life finds its sweetest worth
Where man, still born to trouble will soon discover its rod
Push-pull, heave-ho, uphill we go, still by the grace of God

We still reap what we sow; God is not mocked, though some will dare
To think they can, spurning the love that didst their pardon bear
Man’s understanding still grapples with Lord God’s Sovereignty
The rebel still plucks ‘apples’ from the still forbidden tree

God's gift of grace is still free if we repent and believe
The sinner on one's own cannot redemption’s work achieve
We still all have only one life, death’s sickle sweeps the earth
And one by one we will return to He who authors birth

Time and humanity, while progress changes the façade
Are beneath the authority of Everlasting God
And while so little stays the same, some things will never change
Because of the Undying Soul no mortal can estrange

© Janet Martin

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.
Heb.13:8

Be still and know that I am God
Psalm 46:10

Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
 do not fret when people succeed in their ways, 
when they carry out their wicked schemes
Psalm 37:7






Monday, March 15, 2021

All Together Somehow

 

Inspired with amusement by all our differences,
to keep life and love interesting!😍

Midst mess and mayhem
love and life unfold
in the clutter and clatter
of growing old-er

I'm de-cluttering (and spring-ifying) today after the weekend...

(don't you oh, so dearly love everyone
who adds a bit of clutter and clatter to your life?!!)

Flash-back to some Tuesday echoes 💗



Differing perspectives and personalities can make for some lively discussion sometimes...
(so kiddos leave to get lost in books while adults linger at the table)
...but let's never let it get in the way of love!

Ahoy! An envoy of eclectic attitudes embarks
From east to west on quests wrestling life's exclamation marks
Some ho-hum-hum and dum-de-dum, for they are more laid back
Than others who resemble predators poised for attack
Yet all together somehow while we fight with right and wrong
We are commanded to learn how to love and get along

Aha! The law of love runs through a pothole-riddled road
Some (seem to) dodge them all, some wheels fall off, some stumble ‘neath life’s load
But oh, we should remember we are all broken while bound
Toward That, which makes us all fellowmen on common ground
Where altogether somehow in this grin and groaning grind
We are commanded to encourage one another and be kind

Ho-ho! The ebb and flow of dawn to dusk is like a barge
That edges ever closer to where trav’lers disembark
Where now we are still tethered in an all-together Here
Before the ways we weather with one breath will disappear
So, then let’s all together somehow, by God’s grace each day we live
Obey His great command to love each other and forgive

© Janet Martin

Sunday night supper at gramma's house
always includes *'tea' in a cup from the colourful mug-tower!
(oh, the race to get first dibs on a colour!)
this little tradition always ends up soon involving a mop
 as L'il Lady and Gentleman are still learning the art of sipping without spilling😋



* a splash of tea topped with  much milk and a drizzle of honey